Captain Phil

Funny story. Years ago I was running down L67 Canal in the Everglades with my flasher on. Normally, the bottom is as flat as a table top. As I ran down the canal, I ran over something large on the bottom. I stopped, turned around and cast out a 9" black Fliptail worm. I got an immediate strike, which turned out to be huge mud fish. I unhooked the mud and made another cast to the same spot where I caught another giant mudfish. A third cast produced another strike only this one was different. Instead of rolling in the line, the fish started to the surface. That fish was an eight pound bass, the biggest I had caught up until then. I believe that was the first fish I caught that could be attributed directly to my flasher.

Depends on where you fish. Here in Florida, electronics don't do that much for you. Our natural lakes are shallow dish pans with practically no bottom structure. Electronics can help you, but there are so many fish shallow it's not entirely necessary. There are a few exceptions like deep rock pits and canals. When I started fishing tournaments north of the State line, I quickly learned the value of electronics.

There was a time when I wouldn't dream of fishing a bass tournament without putting rattles in my soft baits. We would spend hours gluing glass rattles in each craw or worm. It worked because we believed it did. Confidence is a powerful force, especially when it comes to bass fishing. Since I no longer fish tournaments, I quit using rattles and I catch just as many fish. I do like my baits to have built in vibration like paddle tail worms, speed worms and such. I feel vibration is more significant than the sound of a rattle.

Florida strain largemouth bass are affected more by low temperatures than their northern counterparts. When water temps drop below 50, they can seem to disappear. Soaking live shiners is one way to catch them consistently under these conditions. Another way is to fish wood. It is believed that wood holds heat which makes the fish more active. These are the times when fishing residential canals pays off. Running water is also a plus. You will catch more fish in the middle of the day than in the darker periods. Flipping heavy cover is my choice. It takes patience, but it works.

For those who don't know, the Mitchell 300 was the reel that changed bass fishing forever. It came out just about the time plastic worms became widely available. The 300 allowed light worms to be cast by just about everyone. It launched what we now call finesse fishing and opened the sport to anyone with a pulse. The 300 was a great reel. It was somewhat heavy by today's standards. The only issue was the bail springs breaking. We always carried extra springs and could change them in a few minutes.

He died doing what he loved. That's how I want to go....

I have posted this photo before on this forum, sorry if you've seen it. Those old Ambassadors could really take a beating. A good one was smooth as silk and you could tear it completely down with a small screw driver and the tiny wrench they gave you in the box. The early 5500Cs were the best of the lot. Here is a 100 pound plus Pacific Sailfish I caught using a 6500C and 8 pound Ande mono. It would have been a world record for the line class, but we chose to release the fish. Try that with one of today's reels and see what happens.

Twenty five years old is retro? Yikes! I have socks older than that! My favorite retro rod is a 5' 6" pistol grip casting rod I bought from Bass Pro Shop. The reel is a Shimano Chronach Bantam 100 which I consider one of the best bass reels ever made. I use this outfit for fishing anything I want to jerk repeatedly, like top water baits, jerk baits and flukes. The grip and the short length keep the bait moving without tiring me down. The Ambassador 5500C was the reel everyone wanted 40 years ago. The early ones were great reels. The were cheapened up later and weren't worth having. I don't fish with them these days. My best round reel is a Shimano Calcutta. I still have lures that I bought in the 70s. Many of them have been discontinued, but they still catch fish.

Experimenting with blade size is well worth the effort. I downsize the top blade on most all my spinnerbaits. This makes the bait run deeper and the blades turn at slower speeds. When most everyone else is burning and gurgling, I'm catching fish.

Sta-Bil Start has ether in it. Ether based starting fluids have been around for many years. I have used it to start engines that haven't run in decades. I wouldn't use it all time as it may harm cylinder walls if used that way. Never put gasoline with ethanol in a gas engine that is going to sit. It attracts water and turns to goo. Drain that stuff out before it costs you money. Ask me how I know!

Good advice. I have a garage full of fishing rods. I only use three when bass fishing. One 7' 2" MH that I use for flipping, pitching, crankbaits, frogs and spinnerbaits. One 6' 10" MH that I use for soft plastics and one 6' 6" MH spinning rod that I use for wacky rigs and finesse baits. To me, the most important aspects of a fishing rod are weight, backbone, sensitivity and comfort. If it feels right to you when you hold it, it will work for you. Lately, I have been using more braid. I use a floro leader if the water is clear.

I don't believe they have ever made a Trick Worm color that didn't catch bass. If Trick Worms were all you ever fished with, you would still catch bass. I have used just about every color made. I use dark worms in stained water and green worms in clear. I have caught bass on bubblegum, Merthiolate and pure white too. Currently, my favorites are Junebug/Red and Watermelon red flake. There are literally zero ways to fish this worm without catching fish.

My boat came with two Lowrance Hook Reveal units and I also had a hard time trying the figure how to configure the settings. Do yourself a favor and go to YouTube. There you will find dozens of videos that will answer all your questions. Don't skip this. Do it and you will be a much happier fisherman.

I posted this for a little humor, but I would fish with anyone on this forum. Eustis is about 30 minutes North West of Orlando. My biggest problem is launching and loading my boat by myself. It gets harder every year. Right now the Chain is full of boats prefishing for the upcoming Major League Fishing Tournament. Our best Spring fishing months are March and April.

Blood Knot.

I have had many fishing partners over the course of my life. Some were great fishermen, some just wanted to go for a boat ride. Finding one that lasts can be a challenge. Talk to your Dad. The best fishing partner I had was my son. When he married and started his own family, he didn't have time to fish. My In law would be the last person I would want to fish with. I'm a hard person to fish with and I know it. Bass fishing takes patience and few people have as much as I do. Anyone out there want to fish with me? The Harris Chain is right out my living room window. I know it like the back of my hand. I own a new bass boat and have all the time in the world. I'm too old to fish alone, but I do it. I don't drink alcohol and I don't smoke. You don't want to get behind me at the ramp because I'm as slow as molasses running uphill. I can't fish for more than a half day. You don't need money just time. No whiners. Applications accepted! ☺️

We use loop knots often in salt water fishing where heavy mono leaders are necessary. A loop knot allows your bait to have more action. The only time I have used it when bass fishing is when I fish a Rapala Minnow. A correctly tied loop knot used to tie mono does not slip. I wouldn't use it with braid.

My wife and I were in Real Estate at that time. Previous to 2008, credit was so easy if you could fog up a mirror you could get a mortgage with nothing down. People were flipping new houses making big money on each one. My wife sold seven of them to one man who put up $1,000 each then sold them six months later for a $50K profit each. Most short term investors were greedy and got caught when the market crashed. Bankruptcies were everywhere and million dollar homes were being sold for half price. Things are different today. Few homes were built in the ten years after the crash leading to huge housing shortages. Florida Real Estate prices have backed off a little, but there's nothing to buy. Sellers are stuck in their homes with low interest mortgages. If you are going to live in your home for a long time, a house is a good investment. If you are going to treat your house like a casino, you shouldn't buy one. This holds true in all types of investing, not just housing. If you had sold all your stocks after the crash of 2008 and put your money in a mattress, you would have missed out on one of the greatest market value appreciations in history.

The price of a lot of things will be crashing in the next few years. When the price of a loaded Jeep Grand Cherokee is over $100K, something's got to give. I drove by my neighborhood Ford Dealer the other day and his lot is overflowing with new Ford cars and trucks.

Fishing wives are great! Short story. Back around 1997, I came home and told my wife I wanted to sell our house and move to the Keys. I was paying big bucks to dock my boat in Miami and thought I could buy a place cheaper than the dock fee. To my surprise, my wife thought it was a great idea. We sold our South Florida home in two weeks before we found a place in the Keys. This upset my wife because she thought we would be without a home. That Sunday, we drove down to Key Largo. All the homes were out of our price range, so we were very disappointed. We drove over a small bridge and saw a For Sale sign in a condo window. I called the phone number and left a message with the Realtor. The next day we were at the office in Miami when the Realtor called. He said the owners were desperate and for us to make an offer. I offered him $135,000. He called me back an hour later to tell me the condo was ours. The condo was nearly new with a 45' boat dock a short distance from the Ocean. When you came out the canal, you were in the middle of John Pennekamp Park, one of the most popular diving spots in Florida. We commuted back and forth from Miami to the Keys for a number of years. I lost 30 pounds eating fish and walking up and down the condo stairs. We eventually grew tired of the commute and sold the condo for four times what we paid. That's the type of wife you want. 😊

Here's a tip for you young guys who are looking for a wife. If you want your wife to be happy with you fishing for the rest of your life, find a woman who likes fishing. Better yet, take her with you.

First, let me say that my wife is not a domineering woman (whatever that is?). She is an intelligent person with her own career, thoughts and opinions. My wife fished with her father when she was a kid. When she met me, I became her new fishing partner. If my wife ever told me to go fishing and she has numerous times, she did so because she knew it makes me happy. I took her fishing with me for the same reason. Marriage is a compromise that takes give and take on both sides. If one of the partners is scared or dominated, it's not going to last. For a marriage to last, it takes love, friendship and respect. If there is a problem with Western Society marriages, it's that one of them is missing.

Yes it is. I posted this photo on Facebook and Bill replied to thank me. It was great to hear he is still alive and kicking. He was one of the best. His TV antics were as funny as anything I have seen, especially the one where his trolling motor comes off the boat running. It's hilarious!

As hard as it is for some to believe, bass were caught before electronics.